Abrasive Materials for Semiconductor Chemical Mechanical Polishing: Composition, Performance, and Emerging Trends

In the semiconductor chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) manufacturing process, the selection of abrasive materials is crucial to the precision, efficiency, and surface quality of devices. This review summarizes the abrasive materials used in semiconductor processing, focusing on their selection principles, material removal mechanisms, and performance optimization strategies. Based on physicochemical properties and polishing behaviors, typical abrasives (SiO₂, Al₂O₃, CeO₂, and composite particles) are compared: SiO₂ has moderate removal efficiency and good dispersion stability, making it suitable for the polishing of silica-based and low-dielectric-constant insulating layers; Al₂O₃ is widely used in metal CMP (such as copper and tungsten) due to its high hardness; CeO₂ has unique chemical activity and high selectivity, which is advantageous in the shallow trench isolation (STI) process. This review analyzes the current challenges (defect control, slurry stability, environmental constraints) and emerging trends (composite abrasive design, sustainable manufacturing). It provides technical insights for the development of high-precision and high-efficiency CMP processes in semiconductor manufacturing.